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The Space Between Us
The Space Between Us is a short story written by DarknessApogee. It is part of the ''Shadows of Darkness'' series, and follows the particular event that sets in motion the entire main storyline of the series. As such, it can be considered as the prequel of ''Shadows of Darkness''. It revolves around the Toa Thevan, a team of Toa set on a mission to retrieve the rogue Toa of Space called Dabohi on the newly reformed Spherus Magna. The story takes place nearly a hundred years after the events of the unfinished [http://bionicle.wikia.com/wiki/The_Powers_That_Be The Powers That Be], following the murders of Karzahni and Tren Krom and the disappearances of Toa Nuva Pohatu and Kopaka. Story Prologue - The Powers That Were "Do you see the shadows ?" Kaadin stepped inside the chamber, his Ruru softly glowing to light up the space. The walls were carved with runes, drawings and maps that the Toa of Earth couldn't fully apprehend. Above him, the stone was covered in some kind of paint, representing the sky at night, with stars and galaxies everywhere. One in particular stood out from the crowd, a shiny red star in the center of the room. The painting was magnificent, but Kaadin wasn't there to admire the Toa of Space's artistic talent. "Do you see the shadows ?" repeated Dabohi. "The shadows that surround us everywhere. Right in front of us, or hidden in the darkness. Hidden behind the light. Hidden amongst us." The rogue Toa was standing in the back of the room, turned against the wall so that Kaadin could not fully see him. He was tall, wearing a black and blue armor from head to toe. The Toa of Earth wasn't able to distinguish his interlocutor's Kanohi from behind. But most of all, he didn't have time for his meaningless riddles. "Did you kill them ?" he asked without notice. "Who ?" "You know well enough who I'm talking about." answered Kaadin. "After all this time," said Dabohi seemingly annoyed. "You Toa still think I am responsible for their deaths ?" The other one remained silent. The Toa of Space slowly turned around, revealing his face to Kaadin. His Kanohi was of a type the Toa of Earth had never seen before, and his eyes were covered by a blindfold where two small round pieces had been sewed on, figuring the eyes behind the fabric. Even without seeing the whole face of his opponent, Kaadin could still notice that he was deeply saddened because of something. "After all I've done..." he continued. "No. I did kill neither Tren Krom nor Karzahni. He did." Dabohi grabbed an object in the corner of the room and threw it at the Toa's feet. The thing slipped on the ground for a few inches and stopped right in front of Kaadin. Even despite the scratches, burn marks and other clues seemingly proving that its former wearer had been in a fierce battle, the Toa of Earth was still able to recognize it was a Kanohi. More precisely, it was a Great Kanohi Komau, and Kaadin only knew of one being whom it could have belonged to. He whispered. "Velika..." Chapter I - What We Are Living For A few moments earlier... The lucious greens. The warm golden light of the sun. The sky-blue flow of surrounding rivers. Tavus couldn't help it but thought that this was only the calm before the storm. A dangerous and terrifying rogue Toa of Space kind of storm. They had been walking through the tall grass for hours now. Tavus himself was at the end of the line, following his teammates and keeping an eye on them, were they to be attacked unexpectedly. Just in front of him was Vana, the only female of the Toa Thevan, her elemental power being Glass. She was the more delicate and caring member of the team, but always prefered to stay behind of the group - mostly to be as far as possible from the Toa of Fire at the front line. Indeed, Tyne was leading the march, holding high his flamboyant red Kanohi Matatu, Mask of Telekinesis. He was walking alongside the Toa of Gravity called Onahu, the two of them probably exchanging some jokes and sharing their thoughts on whatever came to their minds. "Birds of a feather, eh ?" commented Gallus with a wink. Tavus smiled. Gallus was the peaceful giant, Carmak-wearing Toa of Stone that stood out of the team due to his being taller and larger than average. And finally was Kaadin, cruising silently as usual. He did not like to talk, nor to interact socially with the others, but he was loyal and a valuable member of the Toa Thevan for his wisdom and stoic behavior. What an eclectic team they were. Glass, Fire, Gravity, Earth and Stone. Not to mention Tavus himself, revered Toa of Plantlife, leader of the Toa Thevan. Eclectic indeed, but united until the end of times. Six heroes on a eternal quest to find the one that failed them. '---' He stopped by a small tree with leaves of purple. The Toa dropped his weapons in the grass and sat there while Tyne kept going on without paying attention, seemingly too focused on polishing his scythe. "Are you alright ?" asked Vana to her friend, stopping next to him. "Do you need something ?" "I'm fine, don't worry." replied Onahu. "Just exhausted. Come on, don't stop for me, I only need to rest a few minutes. Keep walking." The Toa of Gravity laid his head against the bark of the tree. He looked at the others going by him, especially their leader, Tavus, whose eyes inquired to know if everything was fine, to which Onahu responded with a nod. The Toa Thevan continued their march through the wilderness, leaving their fellow Toa taking a break behind. Just how long had they been doing this ? He lost count years ago. Although it was probably something like eight decades or so. Nearly eighty years spent searching for a Toa of Space that was believed to have killed two of the most powerful beings on this planet - not to mention a failed attempt at murdering a whole lot of others. How could a Toa go this wrong ? That was something Onahu couldn't understand. And yet, here they were, in the middle of nowhere - again - tracking down the infamous Dabohi - again. All these years, they kept going around Spherus Magna following every single clue they were given, without actually finding him. Multiple times, they found some campfires or abandoned metallic pieces proving their target had been there, but they never encountered him once. As if the Toa of Space was just a ghost all along. Onahu chuckled. A ghost, and what next ? A Great Being ? That was some delusional Toa's theory. An almighty Great Being, hidden amongst the Matoran for his dark schemes to go unnoticed. "Enough thinking for today," told the Toa to himself. "Let's go. I have a Toa of Space to find." Onahu stood up, took back his weapons and started following the path his team had traced through the plants. Maybe this time was the time. The day before, a small Fe-Matoran had come to the Toa Thevan while they were having a meal in Tesara, the Jungle Village, and had told them that he had found a strange cave not far from there, where he reportedly had seen a menacing Toa from far away. That had been not much of an indication, but it had still been more than anything that came to the Toa in months. "I really hope this is it. So that we can finally accomplish our mission..." Onahu crossed a small river and penetrated deeper in the forest, to catch up with the other ones. '---' "What did I miss ?" the Toa of Gravity asked upon arriving to the clearing his friends were waiting at. "Sorry," replied Tyne, "Were you gone ? I didn't even notice. That must be why you weren't answering my questions anymore all of a sudden." "No need for your sarcasm, Tyne." That was Tavus who pleased the Toa of Fire to stop. He grumbled. What in the name of Karzahni was the team waiting for to enter the cave ? All they had to do was to search this Mata Nui-forsaken place for a murderous bastard and kick some butts. No big deal at all. "We came upon the cave the Fe-Matoran told us about." the Toa of Plantlife resumed. "I thought it was better for all of us to be here before exploring the tunnels. Are you alright, Onahu ?" "I am. No need to worry." he answered. The Toa of Gravity started to study the environment, which caused Tyne to roll his eyes. He felt like the Toa Thevan had spent so much time waiting there that he knew exactly the landscape without even taking a look at it. Just after the clearing was a massive rocky hill with three openings : one hole right in front of the Toa, another one north of the hill and the last one at the top of it, delving deeper and deeper into the surface of the planet. Some stones were also carved with eerie symbols and drawings, such as a Kanohi Akaku for instance. There could be a thousand bios of tunnels under there, but there was no way to take a look at it if they kept just standing there like a band of debilitated trees. "Tavus, can we please go now that everyone's here ?" Tyne begged. "Fine. I'll take the main entrance with Vana. Gallus and Kaadin, you two try to find a way through the hole at the top, as Toa of Stone and Earth you should manage just well. And Tyne, you go to the northern opening with Onahu." He added jokingly : "That is, of course, if he can still put up with you for a moment." "It'll be okay, I'll just leave him somewhere to be devoured by Ash Bears." jested the Toa of Gravity. "And I thought my jokes were bad." the Matatu-wearing Toa commented. "Anyway, finally less walking and talking, more fighting ! Suspense ! Action ! Adventure ! Woohoo !" In the blink of an eye, Tyne grabbed a fallen branch, set it afire and entered the cave by the northern entrance, running ahead of everybody else. Tavus stared at his fellow Toa and sighed. "Well, this is what we've been looking for for decades. Come on, my friends, let's meet our destinies." Chapter II - To Right the Wrongs Now. Vana adjusted the visor of her Kanohi Akaku, mask of Vision. She was moving her head around in order to see through the chasms and corridors of rock, but even with her Kanohi powers was it tough to distinguish anything in the darkness. "Do you see something ?" Tavus asked, a little behind his fellow Toa. "It's quite dark, and... Wait ! I see Kaadin ! Gallus is there too. They... They found the Toa of Space." "What are they doing ?" "I'm not sure..." she answered. "It seems they're talking." Vana looked in the eyes of Tavus. He seemed to be intensely thinking of a plan. His face showed a mix of anxiety, fear of what was to come and relief that they finally accomplished their goal. He suddenly asked. "Are they far from here ?" "Probably no more than a few minutes away." "Quick then !" Tavus said. "We need to get to them before Onahu and Tyne. I'm afraid if our Toa of Fire comes across Dabohi, there will be less talking, and more bleeding... Guide me through the tunnels." And so she did. Vana took the lead and ran in front of her leader. Right. Left. Left. Right again. The path seemed to take twists and turns all the time, just like a maze, at the end of which awaited some long-expected prize. Left. Right. Right. Left again. Both the Toa of Glass and Toa of Plantlife were running as fast as they could in this hostile environment. If they wanted to settle this century-lasting conflict, every single second counted. "We're nearly there !" Vana indicated in a breath. Right. Left. Left. Right again. And they stepped inside the chamber of secrets. '---' "Don't move !" Gallus turned his head to see Onahu entering the room, his crossbow pointed at the Toa of Space. He was followed by Tyne, torch still in hand. Both of them had come through a passage on the opposite wall of the chamber, at the same time that Vana and Tavus entered by the door he and Kaadin had taken moments earlier. All six of them were now here, facing the Toa they had been looking for for a long, very long time. "Son of a..." "Shut up Tyne !" Tavus interrupted. The Toa of Stone stared suprinsingly at his leader. It was unusual for him to talk to his teammates like that, although the situation was quite unusual too. The four Toa that just arrived all looked tense and three out of four had taken their weapons in hands. Gallus felt pretty calm, yet anxious about how the events were about to unfold. Only Kaadin seemed stoic as always. In the middle of the chamber, Dabohi didn't show any kind of reaction to the arrival of other Toa. Of course, he probably thought what he had just said to Gallus and Kaadin could change it all. "Tavus, we need to talk," said the Toa of Earth. He handled Velika's Kanohi to his leader. "Is that... ?" Tavus began to ask, not even expecting an answer, for he knew well enough what it was. "What is going on here ?" Gallus watched as Kaadin stepped forth and started explaining the situation to the others. "This is Dabohi, Toa of Space," he started. "The one we've always been looking for. He pleads innocent in the deaths of Tren Krom and Karzahni, and in the attempted murders in the fortress of the mad Great Being too." "How dare you say you're innocent ?!" hurled the Toa of Fire. "You bastard liar !" "Tyne, I said SHUT UP !" Gallus had never seen Tavus like this before. He felt like everything was about to shatter at an instant's notice. "If what he pleads is true," the leader of the Toa Thevan went on, "what happened to Velika ?" "Dabohi killed him," the Toa of Earth sighed. "Because he killed them." "How could a Matoran possibly have enough powers to do that ?" asked Onahu. "That makes no sense !" "He was a Great Being." Every eyes turned to the Toa of Space. Gallus already heard the story before his teammates arrived, but hearing it again sent a shiver down his spine. Orde was right. Orde was always right. No one said anything. Tavus turned around and looked at Kaadin silently. The Toa of Earth simply nodded. No words were needed. If Kaadin approved of something, then it had to be right. But still, the leader didn't look convinced. "How is this proof enough ?" asked Tavus to Dabohi, holding the Komau in his hand. "For all we know, you could have murdered both entities, and then a little Matoran. Even if you're saying the truth, you are still a murderer, and this is pure cruelty." "Sometimes it's a case of cruel to be kind," the rogue Toa answered. "I am the one whose eyes are covered, and yet it is you who are blind." Gallus felt the tension rise more and more in the room. Although he was quite tall, the painted roof was still way up above his head, and yet he felt crushed under it. "Still, how is this proof enough ?" the Toa of Plantlife repeated, desperate for an answer. "I knew you were coming. I could have flown away, and this chase of yours could have gone on for centuries. But I saw the shadows. I reestablished unity, I accomplished my duty, and I am on the path towards my destiny. This is your proof. If I had remained invisible, the truth would have stayed hidden in the darkness." "And what if no one believes your truth ?" "Someone already does," concluded Dabohi. And so Tavus stared at Gallus and Kaadin. The Toa of Stone knew he didn't need words. He believed the Toa of Space. So did Kaadin. The leader sighed. "So what do we do ?" he asked. "We can't let him go !" screamed Tyne, his eyes burning like never before. "He's still a murderer, Tavus," added the Toa of Gravity. "We have to take him down." Tavus turned to the others, looking for other advices, especially from the wise Kaadin. "I say we leave him be," declared the Toa of Earth. "He still has something to accomplish," he added, looking at the red star painting on the roof. Gallus did not say anything, for he knew Tavus understood he agreed with Kaadin. "Vana ?" questioned the Toa of Plantlife desperately. "I'm sorry..." she said as a tear went down her Kanohi. "But Tyne and Onahu are right... We can't believe the story of a monster..." The Toa of Stone saw his leader face the greatest dilemma of his life. On the one hand, three Toa were going to fight. On the other hand, two of them, including the wisest of their group, thought they needed to let the Toa of Space leave, and go back and share the stories with everyone. "I cannot decide this on my own," Tavus told, helpless. "We have to take you back with us, Dabohi, and the council will judge whether you are saying the truth or not." "I'm afraid this won't be possible !" Dabohi raised his right hand, snapped his fingers and... nothing. An expression of distraught surprise marked his face. Gallus understood that the Toa of Space tried to teleport out of there. But unbeknownst to him, the peaceful giant wore a machine on his back, that was capable of retaining the Elemental Powers of the Toa around. Dabohi quickly realized what was happening. "Only one being could have given you a power retainer..." Tavus nodded. "Velika." The rogue Toa sighed, and then took a very deep breath. The two exit ways were blocked by the Toa Thevan. He could not use his powers. No way out. "So, a fight it is." '---' Before anyone could react, Dabohi slided towards the nearest wall, placed his hand against the stone, and a brief but intense flash of light erupted from his Kanohi of unknown nature. Suddenly, the space painting on the ceiling took life : the stars, suns, planets, nebulae and galaxies detached themselves from the rock and came floating to occupy the entirety of the room. What was a simple map of the stars before had just become a virtual orrery. The six Toa were blinded by the shine of the stars. "What the..." said Onahu. "I can't see anything !" The Toa of Space, wearing his blindfold, did not need sight to fight. And the others would soon discover it. Dabohi ran through the room to get closer to Vana. The Toa of Glass tried to hit him with her sword, but in vain, she couldn't even aim. The rogue Toa did not want her to be hurt in the following battle, so he pressed a particular pressure point right behind her shoulder and she collapsed, unconscious. One down, five to go. Without their powers, the Toa Thevan would never be able to overthrow him. They only had limited time to use their Kanohi powers, and then it would come to a handfight, while the Toa of Space's Kanohi could maintain his orrery undefinitely. All of a sudden, Dabohi perceived the recognizable click of Onahu's crossbow. "I think I saw him move !" The Toa of Space perceived the almost inaudible whistle of two crossbow bolts going through the air, towards him. Barehanded, he catched them both, and threw them back to where the sound of the Toa of Gravity's voice came. Onahu, at the last second, saw the bolts coming back and was able to deflect one using his Kanohi Benkhem's power, but it was too late to deflect the second and it passed right through his left shoulder. "Argh !" "GET AWAY FROM MY FRIENDS, YOU PIRAKA !" screamed Tyne angrily. He ran through the orrery, crossed the space between them and attacked Dabohi with his scythe and his torch. The rogue Toa grabbed quickly two daggers and managed to counter attack both weapons the Toa of Fire were using. Tyne was fierce in close combat, and more importantly, the other Toa's eyes were getting acclimated to the shine of the virtual stars. Cling. Clang. Whoosh. The sound of the metals hurting each other was echoing through the cave. Tavus drew his sword and joined the fight. Kaadin and Gallus stayed behind for now, because they thought the Toa of Space was right, but it had to be tough watching their teammates fight like this. On his side, Dabohi was still blocking every attack from both sides with his daggers. Cling. Whoosh. Clang. He didn't want to hurt anyone, but it was becoming tougher and tougher. The orrery didn't bother the Toa anymore, Tyne was completely out of control, and Tavus was a very skilled swordsman. He had to put this battle to an end, or someone would die. Seeing an opening, Dabohi kicked the Toa of Plantlife's knee and knocked him over with an elbow hit on the face. "Tavus !" exclaimed Gallus. The Toa of Stone was generally peaceful, but this was getting out of hand. He ran to the Toa of Space, joined his two maces into a massive hammerhead and prepared to smash his enemy. He rushed his weapon to the rogue Toa, and a dull sound filled the room. "Mata Nui..." With only one bare hand, Dabohi had stopped the maces and was holding them back above his head, while repelling Tyne with one dagger on the other side. The Toa Thevan had no idea how powerful their opponent was. But now the power retainer, on Gallus' back, was closer, and that was Dabohi's chance. He jumped, took support against the Toa of Fire and propelled himself against Gallus, who came crashing into the wall ; a crashing which destroyed the machine at the same time. The virtual orrery faded and the stars took back their place on the painted ceiling. Dabohi was at the center of the chamber again, with the Toa Thevan circling him. All those who had been knocked down were standing again, and all six had taken their weapons out - even Kaadin. But the power retainer was gone. So it was time to end all this. The Toa all charged at once, using their respective Elemental Powers. Plantlife, Glass, Fire, Gravity, Earth and Stone. "ENOUGH !" The Toa of Space screamed. A giant flash of light. And then, the silence. There was nobody in the chamber anymore. As if nothing happened. On the ground, a derelict Kanohi Komau in a sorry state. On the ceiling, the drawing of a red star that never shined so brightly. Epilogue - Redstar The rocks surrounding him were hard and cold. What had happened ? "This way or no way..." There was only darkness around him. A light above cast some shadows. Then it all faded to black. "You know I'll be free..." Dreams. Nightmares. "Just like that bluebird..." His insides were burning from rage and despair, and yet this fire was nothing compared to what was outside. "Oh I'll be free..." She felt sheer terror. "Just... like the bluebird..." Could he ever go back ? "Oh I'll be free..." He would find a way. He had too. "Ain't that just like me." The echo of his song came back to him from the neverending corridors. A distorted voice. Or maybe it was just how he sounded now ? This thought made him laugh. A lone laugh in the darkness. And again, the echo. "Ain't that just like me ?" Characters * Toa Thevan ** Tavus (leader) ** Gallus ** Kaadin ** Onahu ** Tyne ** Vana * Toa Dabohi * Toa Orde (mentioned) * An unnamed Matoran of Iron (mentioned) * Karzahni (deceased, mentioned) * Tren Krom (deceased, mentioned) * Velika (deceased, mentioned) Trivia * The Space Between Us is the first story ever to be part of the ''Shadows of Darkness'' series. However, since the series takes place only in the Shadow Alternate Universe and not this story, it is more of a prequel than the first step of the main storyline. * The story's title refers both to the difference between the Toa team and Dabohi and to the Toa of Space himself. However, the similarity with the title of the 2017 movie is purely coincidental. * To know more about The Space Between Us, check out DarknessApogee's blog : Let's Talk About... The Space Between Us. Category:Shadows of Darkness Category:Shadow Alternate Universe Category:Stories